Santa Barbara will soon be home to a stylish vegan restaurant, as Oliver’s at 1198 Coast Village Road is set to open by the end of August.
“It is a health-conscious community,” said Yasmeen Lee, marketing director for Matthew Kenney Cuisine. “It’s a beautiful area and there are not a lot of vegan and vegetarian spots out there.”
Matthew Kenney Cuisine, under the name of PlantLab, will provide the food and menu for the restaurant, which is owned by cell phone pioneer Craig McCaw.
“It is a completely plant-based restaurant,” Lee said. “We came up with the concept.”
The restaurant features an open dining area, bar room and outdoor patio designed by Art Luna.
The site was formerly home to Peabody’s. Lee said the name, Oliver’s, was McCaw’s idea.
Lee said the availability of fresh local produce and ingredients will help drive the menu.
Matthew Kenney Cuisine bills itself as a California-based lifestyle company, which has restaurants in New York, Miami and several around the world.
“The foundation of our work is based on proprietary techniques and creative thinking applied to prepare minimally processed, plant-based cuisine that is both refined and healthful,” the company says on its website.
“When it comes to what we eat, we see things differently than others. Aligned with a world rapidly embracing the need for a healthier diet and an increase in plant-based food consumption, we are crafting the future of food.”
Fairview Avenue McDonald’s Adding Drive-Through Order Station
The McDonald’s at 146 South Fairview Ave. in Goleta is in store for some changes. The restaurant will be removing three trees and adding a second drive-thru ordering station for customers looking for a Big Mac or any of the other Golden Arches items.
McDonald’s also plans to add an 84-square foot addition to the cashier’s window. Despite the two order stations, motorists will still queue back into one lane pick up their food.
Sams 2 U Converted into Office Space
Nearby, the former Sams to Go and Sams 2 U establishment is being converted back into a commercial office space by the property owner Renee Koke.
The building at 5979 Hollister Ave. will undergo façade improvements. Crews plan to install a new reclaimed wood exterior vertical siding and a grey corrugated metal roof.
The new office space will give the city more supply at a time when Goleta’s vacancy rate has dropped to 9.3, the lowest rate since 2008.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
